


Bully - A Daddy Coda

by LazyDaizy



Series: Daddy [3]
Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: 16 year old Jackson, F/M, Family, Growing Up, Jackson POV, Pining, dance class, problems with a bully
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-20
Updated: 2018-03-20
Packaged: 2019-04-05 01:05:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,563
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14032776
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LazyDaizy/pseuds/LazyDaizy
Summary: 16 year old Jackson, the son of Jughead and Betty, helps his sister with a bully and deals with his own issues when his crush calls him a bully as well.





	Bully - A Daddy Coda

**Author's Note:**

> 95% from Jackson's POV, Jughead and Betty POV at end

He was tall, like his father had been at 16, with black hair, piercing blue eyes and handsome face and while he had his father’s good looks, he had his mother’s kind nature and gentle innocent attitude about life. The fact that his parents were well known, his father being a best-selling author and his mother an acclaimed research journalist made life easier for him than it did for most of his peers.

Jackson Jones was popular. The kind of popular where you didn’t really have to work at it, you just were. Everyone know who he was and everyone wanted to be his friend and lucky for everyone, he was the kind of guy that literally _was_ everyone’s friend. Everyone that is, except Lila Jordon. 

Jackson sat against the tree next to the football field at Riverdale high and watched her as he ate his lunch. She was sitting in the stands, her nose stuck in a book like it always was because she preferred to keep to herself and didn’t seem to have many friends, if any. She was in a few of his classes and he thought she was brilliant. Her hair was always in a ponytail and her glasses always sat slightly crooked. While most people thought she was a dork, he thought she was cute and last week, when he had accidently bumped into her in the hall, her glasses had fallen and he had looked into the most beautiful brown eyes he’d ever seen. She had muttered an apology and hurried off.

Jackson was used to the butterflies that had erupted in his stomach. He had been feeling them since he was 14, every time he looked at her, or she looked at him, or they touched accidently, or they muttered a ‘hi’ to each other. He didn’t know why he was so scared to approach her. She was one of the sweetest, if not the sweetest girl in school and was always helping anyone who needed it, even though it never seemed to be returned, she just never did or said a bad thing to or about anyone. She was exactly the way he tried to be. He could talk to anyone but for some reason, he couldn’t talk to her. It was ridiculous he thought. He was popular, the most popular boy at school and while he didn’t let it go to his head, he figured it should give him some confidence to freaking talk to a girl.

“Hey Jax, what are you doing out here?” Katie, one of his friends and three others walked up to him and flopped down on the grass. 

“I was just eating my lunch,” he said with a shrug, stealing another glance at Lila who suddenly got up and left the stands, walking towards the school away from him. He sighed and looked back at the group. “What’s up guys?”

“We’re going to Pop’s after class for some shakes, you want to come?” Logan, his best friend since the second grade asked.

“I can’t today, I have to pick up Alyssa from dance class.”

“God, you’re always carting your little sister around,” Katie said, rolling her eyes. Jackson shot her a look and bit his tongue to keep from snapping at her. He liked her well enough, but he found her abrasive and rude a lot of the time and he was pretty sure she only liked him because she had the hots for his dad, Jughead Jones. She was constantly talking about and gushing over how hot he was. He guessed he gave her a pass because she usually followed it up by saying he looked just like him. If his dad was hot, that meant he was, he guessed. Regardless, she was annoying and he wasn’t mean enough to tell her off. Logan told him while he may have his father’s looks, it was his mother’s niceness that was his downfall. He literally never said a bad thing about anyone, even the ones that deserved it.

“She likes it when I pick her up and I don’t mind doing it,” he said with a shrug as he finished off his sandwich.

“Hey Jax, when does your dad’s new book come out?” Katie asked.

“I don’t know, he doesn’t tell me that stuff, just hands me a copy when it comes in the mail,” Jackson said with a roll of his eyes.

“Think you could get me a signed copy?” 

“I could ask, in fact he actually asked about you the other day,” Jackson said, taking a sip of his water.

“Oh my god, really? What did he say?”

“He wanted to know what the name was of the girl who stepped in dog crap last month at my 16th birthday party,” Jackson said with a smile. Logan bit back a laugh and Katie glared at him.

“You’re an ass,” she snapped and stormed off.

“Why does she have to be so gross about my dad?” he asked with a sigh. 

“Cause she’s gross?” Logan offered with a laugh. He leaned back against the same tree and stretched his legs and crossed his ankles.

“So, Jax, are you ever going to talk to her?”

“Who?”

“Lila.”

“What do you mean?” 

“Come on Jax,” Logan laughed. “You’ve been staring at her for like 2 damn years, I figure by now you’d have worked up the courage. I honestly don’t even know what it is about her that you like. She’s odd.”

“No she’s not,” Jackson said quickly. “She’s nice.”

“How the hell do you know? You never talk to her. I just don’t get it man, she’s so plain and weird. You could literally have any chick at this school.”

“I guess my parents taught me not to settle, and I don’t want just any girl,” Jackson said with a shrug, making an obvious point to say girl and not chick. They stood when the bell sounded to end lunch and Logan slapped a hand on his shoulder.

“Sorry to have to tell you this, Jax, but if you ask out Lila Jordan, you are settling.”

“Don’t be an asshole,” Jackson said with a glare. Logan rolled his eyes.

“Riverdale’s very own saint,” he muttered.

 

After school, Jackson spent some time in the library to work on a paper for History class and then headed across town to pick up Alyssa from dance class. He could have gone to Pop’s with his friends for a little bit but sometimes he just liked to be alone. He drove his dad’s old SUV and while it wasn’t the new car he had wanted for his 16th birthday, as his mother had insisted he started with something used, he honestly didn’t mind, as long as he could call the vehicle _his_.

He parked and headed into the studio and walked down the hall toward the back room where he knew his sister was dancing. He passed other rooms on the way, glancing through the windows to watch people dance. He was almost at Alyssa’s room when a dancer in the room before her’s caught his eye. His breath caught in his throat when he saw Lila all by herself in a room and having listened and watched his little sister enough, he knew she was doing what they called Lyrical dance. She was mesmerizing, her body moving and floating across the floor, flowing into each new twist and turn with the music as if her body was the song itself.

Jackson stepped back in the shadows so she wouldn’t see him and watched her for a while. He didn’t understand why people thought she was plain. He thought she was stunning. She wasn’t wearing her glasses and her hair was down floating all around her shoulders and he felt his heart race a little. When she stopped dancing and started stretching he hurried past the window and went to find his sister. Alyssa was the only one left in the room, the other dancers having gone and she was sitting on the bench, her head down and playing with her fingers.

“Hey sis,” he said softly as he walked in. She sent him a small smile and he frowned and sat down next to her. “Are you alright?” he asked gently, brushing her hair off her face. 

“Yeah, I’m okay, I’m just tired, it was a hard class,” she said with a small smile. She stood and he stood with her and she put her small hand in his as they walked out. The room Lila had been in was empty now and he wondered where she had disappeared to so fast.

“Did you want to maybe go for some icecream?” he asked softly, thinking there was a little more wrong than she wanted to tell him.

“I just want to go home, Jax,” she said quietly and he didn’t question her any more. When they arrived at home, she quickly ran inside and was disappearing around the corner at the top of the stairs before he was barely in the house. He stood and stared for a moment in confusion and then dropped his bag and shoes and walked into the kitchen.

“Can you two get any more gross?” he asked with a sigh when he saw his mother sitting on the kitchen island, being thoroughly kissed by his father. The kissing stopped and his dad turned to grin at him.

“The purpose of a parent is to disgust their children with enthusiastic display of affection,” Jughead informed him.

“Well good job, you get an A+,” Jackson said with an eye roll as he stepped to the fridge and opened it.

“Good day at school?” Betty asked, smoothing her hair and biting back a giggle at her husband’s wink.

“It was fine,” Jackson said as he grabbed the milk to pour himself a glass.

“You remembered to pick up Alyssa?” his mother asked as she went back to cooking dinner.

“Yeah, she went upstairs to her room,” he replied. He was about to say that he thought there was something wrong but decided to keep it to himself. He’d wait first and see if he was right.

 

Three days later, Jackson worked up the courage to talk to Lila. Well, his friends being jerks is what made up his mind.

“Hey, why are you always staring at the weird girl?” one of them asked as they got ready to head home from school.

“She’s not weird,” Jackson muttered as he shoved his books in his bag while they exited the school. He felt flushed and annoyed and his eyes still wandered across the school grounds to the tree where Lila liked to read. She was in her usual spot, nose in her book.

“He has a crush on her,” Logan said with a smile. “For like two years already, if memory serves.”

“You’ve liked her for two years?” Katie asked. “Why?” Jackson fixed an irritated stare at her. “I’m just wondering, geez,” she muttered. “Do you know she lives on the south side?” 

“Yes Katie, I’m aware of where she lives. Why the hell is that even anything to bring up? What does it matter where she lives?” he snapped.

“Why do you get so bitchy all the time lately,” she snapped back. “I’m just saying that people south of the tracks are strange.”

“How the hell would you know? You’re too much of a snob to even talk to any of them,” Jackson stated. “Are you aware that my father, the great Jughead Jones that you have a rather disgusting crush on, also grew up on the south side?” he asked.

“He did?” she asked in surprise. Jackson just sighed and hung his bag from his shoulders. He had really had enough of Katie and turned to look at Lila. He had been thinking about it since he had seen her dance and he just decided to go for it.

“I’ll see you guys later,” he said and to their surprise, headed across the grass toward her. He tried to act like he was sure of himself and confident but his heart was beating so fast, he felt like he was going to throw up. He stopped a few feet from her and cleared his throat.

“Hey Lila,” he said softly. Her head shot up and she looked at him in surprise and then she scrambled to her feet and grabbed her bag.

“What do you want, Jackson?” she asked quickly, looking around nervously. He fought the mad urge to reach out and fix her glasses that sat slightly crooked and he bit back a smile. His eyes lingered on the tendrils of hair that escaped her ponytail and he also had to fight the urge to tuck it behind her ear. “Jackson?” she spoke again. His brain snapped to attention and he cleared his throat again.

“Ummm…well….i was wondering if you wanted to go to Pop’s for a shake or a burger or something,” he said quickly, shoving his hands in his pockets to keep them from fidgeting. She stared at him for a moment, her eyes wide.

“Is this a joke?” she asked in a small voice. 

“What do you mean?” he asked, genuinely confused.

“Like some kind of bet your friends made or a dare they put you up to?”

“No,” Jackson said quickly. “Not at all.” She looked past him and he turned and saw them standing and watching him. And laughing. He gritted his teeth in frustration and turned back to Lila. 

“Well, they sure think it’s funny,” she said, her voice quivering. “You know, Jackson, I’ve always thought you were a really nice guy. You’re popular and basically the king of school and most guys like that are jerks and I thought you were different, but I guess I was wrong,” she stammered out, her eyes suddenly filling with tears.

“Lila, I’m not…this isn’t…” Jackson stumbled over his words, feeling his heart squeeze. She didn’t let him finish. He heard someone whistle and a fit of laughter and he decided right then that he hated all of them.

“So, it’s like a big joke to you and your friends to ask out the school weirdo, make her feel special and then what, you’d stand me up somewhere and have a good laugh? You’re the worst kind of bully, Jackson Jones,” she cried, backing away from him.

“What? No, Lila….wait….” he called as she turned and ran from him. Jackson felt like someone had punched him in the gut as he watched her disappear around the corner of the school.

“What just happened?” Logan asked as he walked up to Jackson. 

“Nothing,” Jackson snapped and hurried away from him. He really had no idea and he felt like he was going to throw up. She thought he was a bully? He didn’t know what hurt more, her shutting him down or that she thought he was a bully. He climbed into the SUV and his phone rang. He fished it out and stared at the screen and hit answer.

“Hey mom,” he said, trying to keep the tremor out of his voice.

“Hi hon. Alyssa’s class was changed from tomorrow to today and I can’t swing by the studio to pick her up. Can you go get her? She should be letting out soon.”

“Yeah, sure mom,” Jackson said quickly.

“Thanks hon, see you later.”

“Yeah, bye.” He disconnected the call and leaned his head back on the seat and closed his eyes. They burned a little and for all his bravado, he suddenly wanted to cry. What would they all think if they knew that? He wondered. He sighed and shook it off and started the vehicle and headed across town. When he got to the studio, he couldn’t help but scan all the rooms to see if maybe Lila had showed up as well and he didn’t see her anywhere. He went to Alyssa’s room and found her sitting on the floor in front of the mirror, staring at herself. The sad look on her face worried him. He knew for certain now that something was wrong. 

“Hey Ally,” he said softly, sitting down on the floor next to her. He crossed his legs and leaned closer and wrapped an arm around her small shoulders. It seemed like she was carrying way too much on her mind for an 8 year old. “You okay?” 

“I guess,” she said in a small voice.

“Come on sis, I know you better than this. Tell me what’s wrong,” he said gently, giving her a squeeze.

“I’m not a very good dancer,” she said, her voice quivering. Jackson looked at her in surprise.

“Why on earth would you say that? I know I’m not an expert, but I’ve seen you dance Ally, and you’re really good.”

“Well, Nancy doesn’t think so,” she whispered.

“Who’s Nancy and why do you care what she thinks?”

“She’s in my class. She’s the best dancer here and she always gets angry at me and calls me names,” Alyssa said, a tear slipping down her cheek.

“What kind of names? Have you told your instructor?” Jackson asked angrily.

“No, it would only make it worse Jax,” his sister said with a sigh, wiping her arm across her face. “There is this move that I can’t do very well yet, a Pirouette, where you turn a full turn on one foot and I keep stumbling and she can do it really well, with a few turns and she always calls me useless when I stumble and that I’m messing her up. Today when she was leaving she told me to learn to dance before I come back, which is so dumb because this class is for learning,” she said in a huff. “We have recital coming up next month and she’s getting more angry all the time. I wish I wasn’t dancing beside her, she keeps yelling that I’m making her look bad.”

“Hmmmmm, does she bother you outside of class?”

“Yeah,” Alyssa said in a tiny, quivering voice. “She tells kids at school that I suck.” 

“Oh Ally,” Jackson said softly, wrapping his arms around her and hugging her close. “Do you want me to talk to her?” 

“God, no Jax. Don’t you dare! I just have a month to go and then she moves to the 9/10 class,” she said around a hiccup as the tears she had been holding back finally came out. “Please don’t tell mommy or daddy. Please?”

“Okay, let’s get you home. I won’t say anything for now, but if it gets worse, then I will. Deal?” She nodded and got off the floor with him and they headed outside. She paused at the door and sighed. 

“That’s her over there with her mom,” she said quietly, keeping her head down. Jackson paused and looked to where the girl was and he furrowed his brow as he watched. The girl looked like she wanted to cry and from where he was standing, it looked like the mother was giving quite the angry lecture. When she waved her arm while she spoke, the girl shrank back. He felt sad as he watched the exchange and it suddenly became clear to him what was happening.

“Listen Ally, let’s get you home and later tonight you and I are going to talk over a bowl of ice cream. Would you like that? I think I know how you might be able to turn this around.”

“Okay Jax,” she said with a small smile as they walked to his vehicle.

 

Jackson was sitting on his bed, mulling over his homework that was going nowhere because he couldn’t stop thinking about Lila. He had to talk to her again but he didn’t know what he was going to say. If she thought he was nice, why would she think he was messing with her?

“Hey Jax, whatcha doin?”

“What do you want Annie,” he mumbled, not looking up from his paper.

“Someone grumpy today?” his sister asked as she came in his room and flopped on the end of his bed. He glared at her. She just grinned at him, her black hair in a wild cloud of curls around her and her ice blue eyes dancing with mirth.

“Get out.”

“So, how was Logan today?” she asked, ignoring his order and his glare. He rolled his eyes and looked at his paper again. “Did he ask about me?”

“No Annie, my best friend didn’t ask about my 13 year old sister.”

“Well, why not?” she asked, sounding disgruntled.

“Probably cause you’re a kid,” he shot at her.

“I am not! I’ve been 13 for three months!” Annie snapped, glaring at him.

“And he’s 16, so stop with your weird crush, it’s annoying.”

“Haven’t you ever crushed on anyone?” she asked with a roll of her eyes. Jackson was about to tell her to leave again when he sighed and suddenly felt her pain. His crush wasn’t going the way he wanted either. She suddenly grinned in delight when she noticed his pause. “Oh my gosh, who do you have a crush on?” 

“Nobody, Annie, can you please get out? I’m doing homework.”

“I’m not leaving until you tell me who you’re crushing on,” she giggled.

“Mom, Annie won’t get out of my room,” he yelled out, hating to use the ‘mom help me’ card but he really wanted her to leave him alone with his miserable thoughts.

“Annie, leave your brother alone,” he heard her call up from downstairs. Annie rolled her eyes and got off the bed.

“You’re so boring,” she grumbled as she walked to the door. “Jackson has a crush on a girl,” she shouted suddenly as she raced into the hall. Jackson picked up his notebook and threw it after her and missed as she disappeared into the hall but managed to hit his dad who was walking by.

“Hey, why are you throwing things at your sister?” he asked with a frown as he fumbled to grab the notebook.

“Cause she’s a brat,” Jackson yelled loud enough for her to hear.

“Jackson likes a girl,” he heard her call back. His dad leaned against the door frame and smiled at him.

“Is that right?” he asked with a smile.

“It doesn’t matter anyway,” Jackson grumbled, looking back at his homework. He never had been able to lie to his father and he wasn’t going to start now.

“Why is that?” Jughead asked as he walked into the room and sat down on the edge of the bed. Jackson shrugged and concentrated on his paper. “Tell me,” his dad said softly, resting a hand on his leg.

“I don’t know,” Jackson said quietly. “I asked her today if she wanted to go for a shake at Pop’s and she reacted weird.”

“Well, how did she react?”

“She thought I was playing some kind of joke on her and called me a bully and then ran away from me,” Jackson said with a sigh. He rubbed his forehead and pulled a leg up, resting his forearm on his knee. 

“Why would she say that? Have you ever bullied anyone?” Jughead asked with a frown.

“No, of course not,” Jackson said quickly. “I mean, my friends were kind of bugging me about her and I finally got up the nerve to go ask her and they were all standing there laughing and she saw and I guess…..i don’t know….i guess she thought they had put me up to it,” he sighed. 

“Do you talk to a lot of girls? Or ask them out or anything?” his dad questioned. “Are you dating girls at all?” he asked.

“I’ve never asked anybody out,” Jackson admitted. 

“Really?” Jughead asked, seeming completely surprised. “From what I hear, you’re a popular kid and you’re good looking. Why aren’t you dating? And its suddenly dawning on me that I didn’t know any of this and wondering where I’ve been.”

“I never talk about it, that’s why and I don’t like anyone to be dating them,” Jackson said quietly. “Well, I like someone but she obviously doesn’t like me, so….” His dad studied him a while, a curious look on his face.

“Tell me about her,” he said softly.

“She’s quiet, mostly sticks to herself and she likes to read. She’s always reading off by herself somewhere. She’s real smart. We have a couple of classes together and every time she answers a question, well she’s brilliant. Everyone thinks she’s a dork cause she wears these glasses that sort of sit crooked on her face all the time,” Jackson said with a chuckle. “Her hair is always in a ponytail and while everyone just thinks she’s this weird nerd, I don’t know dad, I just….i think she’s beautiful. I don’t know why she doesn’t have many friends, she just chooses to be by herself I think.”

“Have you ever talked to her before?”

“No, I’ve never had the courage. I’m not good with girls,” Jackson admitted with a sigh. “And I’ve liked her for so long, I guess I just got used to pining.”

“I see,” Jughead said softly. “Do people bully her? Or make fun of her?”

“Not that I’ve seen. Not to her face. People say stuff sometimes and I tell them to stop but I’ve never seen anyone say anything directly to her. People are kind of snobby too because she lives on the South Side.”

“Interesting,” Jughead said quietly. “Well, Jax, it seems to me that you’re crushing on the girl version of me at 16,” he laughed.

“That’s weird, don’t say stuff like that,” Jackson said with a grimace.

“No, hear me out. I’ve told you that I grew up on the south side and that’s basically all I’ve said. Well, I was also what they liked to call a loner weirdo at that age.”

“You weren’t popular?” Jackson asked in surprise.

“God, no,” Jughead laughed. “I was anything but. I didn’t talk to anyone ever and stuck to myself and always had my nose stuck in my laptop. People made fun of me all the time and I was bullied a lot by the jocks and I had very few friends. I wasn’t any good with girls either. In fact, if any girl showed any interest in me, I didn’t believe it was real and I kind of reacted the same way this girl you like is reacting. What’s her name?”

“Lila.”

“Well, I think Miss Lila is finding it hard to believe that a popular boy in school has an interest in her, especially if she’s always off by herself and seemingly has no friends. And with her being from the south side, old habits die hard in this town and the north side turns their noses up at anyone south of the tracks. I did eventually start dating a girl who I was friends with and eventually I ended up not being such a loner, but son, if you want her to go out with you, you’re going to have to show her that you’re serious and you really do like her. How long have you been crushing on this girl?” Jughead asked. Jackson sighed and leaned his head back against his headboard.

“Two years.”

“Wow. And you’ve never talked to her?”

“Well, not like a conversation that went beyond asking something class related. I said I’m not good with girls. I don’t know what to say to her.”

“Well, anything you can think of to start a conversation? I mean, why do you like her? Do you have any similar interests?” his father asked. Jackson thought for a while and then lifted his head.

“Well, I like her because she’s smart and she’s not like the other girls at school. Maybe I just like her because she’s quiet and isn’t always looking for attention, like Katie,” Jackson said with a roll of his eyes. “Plus I think she’s really pretty. I’ve always thought she was pretty. I kind of get these butterflies when she looks at me.”

“Ahh, yes the butterflies. I felt them the first time I saw your mother and I get them to this day,” Jughead said with a smile. “And you’ve been feeling this for 2 years?”

“Yeah, pathetic, isn’t it,” Jackson laughed.

“Well, it’s definitely time to do something and start talking to the girl. You’ll never know if what you’re feeling means anything if you don’t talk to her. A pretty face is one thing, but getting to know somebody is quite another.”

“I saw her dancing the other day at Ally’s studio. I could talk about that, how my sister dances as well, that could break the ice maybe.”

“That will work,” Jughead smiled. “If you’re talking about something she loves that isn’t school related she might warm up to you.”

“Thanks dad,” Jackson said with a smile. “I feel a little like a loser right now, having to ask my dad for advice on girls.”

“Well, you didn’t really ask,” Jughead said with a wink. “Let me know how it goes? Good or bad, okay?”

“Sure.” 

"Anyway, the reason I actually wanted to talk to you is that your grand mother called today and she wanted to know if you wanted to come to New York this summer for a week or so and spend some time with her. I talked to mom about it and we decided you're old enough to decide if you want to see her and spend time with her or not."

"What about the others? Does grandma only want to see me?"

"Yeah, she only asked about you," Jughead said softly.

"Tell her no thanks. If I go, we all go." His father smiled at him and stood and gave his hat a tug. 

"I'm proud of you Jax, you're a good man."

"Thanks dad," Jackson said with a smile.

After his dad left his room, Jackson got up and was about to go find Alyssa when 10 year old Jesse walked into his room.

“You want to go throw the ball around?” he asked hopefully. 

“Sure Jess, can you give me about half an hour though? I need to talk to Ally.”

“Okay, I’ll be in the back yard,” Jesse said and went running to find the gloves and ball. On his way to Ally’s room he paused at Annie’s door and knocked. She called out and he pushed it open and leaned against the door frame.

“I’m sorry for being a jerk,” he said softly, offering her a smile. 

“It’s okay, I was bugging you,” Annie said with a shrug.

“How about, when you turn 16 and you still like Logan, I let him know,” Jackson said with a chuckle.

“Okay!” she said excitedly. Jackson shook his head and backed into the hall and closed the door. He figured she’d probably have a new crush before the week was done. He remembered his promise of ice cream and ran down to the kitchen to get a couple bowls and headed back up to Ally’s room. He found her sitting on her window seat, staring out over the river that ran past the back of their property.

“I promised you ice cream,” he reminded her as he sat next to her and handed her the bowl. She smiled and took it from him. “So listen,” Jackson started after taking a spoonful. “I’ve been thinking about this problem you have and I think the problem with this girl has nothing to do with you but everything to do with her.”

“What do you mean?” Alyssa asked with a frown.

“Well, you told me that she tells you that you can’t dance and you make her look bad. Well, I was watching her with her mom outside at the studio and I think her mom puts a lot of pressure on her to perform well and if she doesn’t, I think she probably gets yelled at, now hopefully I’m wrong, but she was definitely scared of her mom.”

“Oh, that’s awful,” his sister said, her blue eyes filling with tears. “So, I guess if I’m not doing the steps right and I distract her a little then she gets mad because she might get in trouble?”

“It’s not your fault Ally, but I can see why she blames you because she is terrified of performing badly.”

“But she always performs good and my messing up doesn’t make her mess up at all, so why does she get so angry at me? She’s always perfect.”

“Because her mother makes her feel like she does badly and I think maybe she picks on you to make herself feel better? If someone is a terrible dancer, it makes her look better, understand?”

“So her picking on me makes her feel better about her dancing and that makes her mother wrong in her eyes?”

“That might be it,” Jackson said with a sad nod. “I really don’t know what is going on inside her head, Ally, but it seems like she is lashing out because her mother makes her feel inadequate. Does she have any friends at the studio?” Alyssa shook her head.

“The other girls are scared of her and just stay away from her and I think they don’t stick up for me because they don’t want her to start picking on them.”

“I hope you understand that what she’s doing is completely wrong and there is no excuse for her to be a bully, but sometimes people who are having problems deal with them by lashing out at others and maybe she just needs a friend? I know that’s a huge thing to even suggest after how she’s treated you, but maybe you could ask her if she’s okay?”

“I’m scared Jax,” Alyssa sniffed. “I don’t want her to get mad at me.”

“I know Ally, but you need to do something soon, okay? Either tell the instructor or try to talk to her yourself. I can help if you want?”

“Could you come watch my class on Thursday and maybe after I could try and talk to her? If you were there it might make me not so scared,” Ally said with a sigh. Jackson smiled and nudged her chin with his thumb. 

“Yeah, I can do that,” he said softly.

 

The next couple of days, Jackson looked around for Lila at school but every time he caught her eye or attempted to approach her she quickly disappeared. He was getting frustrated and was at a loss of what to do. He didn’t want to involve anyone else, he just wanted to explain to her that he really did like her. 

When school ended, he didn’t go to the library to wait for Ally to have her dance class, he headed right over because he had promised he would watch. He decided to go a little early in the hopes that Lila was there.

When he scanned the rooms, he felt his heart start to hammer when he caught sight of her, once again dancing by herself and he was mesmerized for a couple of minutes as he watched her. He felt his palms get sweaty and was so nervous, he again felt like throwing up. This _liking a girl_ business was harder than people made it look and he was supposed to be this confident popular boy and he mostly just left like a loser when it came to things like this. When she stopped dancing and started stretching, he went to the door and leaned against the frame and took a deep breath.

“You’re a really great dancer,” he said softly and she jumped and stared at him in surprise.

“What are you doing here?” she asked quickly.

“My sister has a class here.”

“Well, it isn’t this one,” she replied and turned away from him.

“Lila….”

“What do you want?” she grumbled. Jackson sighed and pulled away from the door and walked into the room.

“I wanted to talk to you….please?” She looked nervous and quickly grabbed her glasses and put them on and put her hair in a ponytail and he remembered the stories his father had always told him about his hat that he had loved so much when he was little and why he wore it. Jackson had ended up basically destroying it by always playing with it and his dad had decided he no longer needed it because it had been a security thing for him and he had a family now and life was wonderful and he hadn’t been too broken up about it. Jackson had started wearing his own beanie type hat when he was 13, mostly because everyone said it looked good on him. He wondered now if Lili was hiding behind her glasses so the world wouldn’t see her insecurities. Of course that was a grand assumption and maybe, just maybe if things worked out, he could ask her.

“Well, talk,” she said, folding her arms across her chest. 

“You’re making me a little nervous,” Jackson admitted and she raised an eyebrow. “Can we sit?” he asked, nodded to the bench. She seemed unsure but she sat and he sat beside her and the butterflies in his stomach went into overdrive. He had never been this close to her before for more than a few seconds. “About the other day, I’m really sorry that I upset you but I wanted you to know that I wasn’t put up to it and my friends didn’t dare me to talk to you or ask you to go for shakes and it wasn’t a joke either…I ummm…..i really did…I really do want to go for shakes with you, or burger or fries or whatever you want. I guess I was asking you out on a date of sorts?”

“You were?” she asked in surprise.

“Yeah….”

“You want to go on a date with me?”

“Yeah, I do,” Jackson said nervously.

“Why?” she asked, her voice quivering a little.

“Because I like you.” He flushed when he said it and when she saw his blush, one appeared on her face to match. “I’ve liked you for a while.”

“How long is a while?” she asked, looking down at her lap.

“Like two years.” Her head shot up in surprise and her eyes widened.

“But why? Two years?” she gasped.

“Because you’re smart and kind and I think you’re so pretty,” Jackson said in a rush, feeling like he might just pass out. She just stared at him and her face was a deep red and a tiny smile appeared.

“You think I’m pretty?” she asked in a whisper.

“And smart and kind,” he said with a little laugh.

“But we’ve never really talked all that much and I thought you were dating Katie,” Lila said slowly, her fingers digging into her thighs as she tried to ease her nerves. Jackson reached over and took her hand and she looked down in surprise. He quickly dropped it, feeling unsure.

“I’m definitely not dating Katie and I know we haven’t talked much but I’ve just always liked you.”

“But why?” she said, flushed red and completely confused. “You’re….well, you’re Jackson Jones, like Mr. Popular, why would you like me? I’m the school dork.”

“I already told you why,” he said with a smile. “And what does me being popular have to do with anything?”

“Well, the popular kids don’t usually crush on the loners that nobody likes,” she insisted, gripping her thigh again. Jackson took another chance and took her hand it his. It felt small and delicate. It felt like she wanted to pull away and then suddenly she was gripping his hand.

“I’m not like that and I’m sorry that you thought that the other day,” he said, running his thumb over her fingers. She took a shaky breath and looked at him.

“I know,” she whispered. “I always thought you were nice, I was just surprised the other day and when I saw your friends laughing…Katie always laughs at me….and….”

“Katie is a bitch,” Jackson said with a sigh. “And she only likes me cause she has a gross crush on my dad.”

“What? Ewwww, he’s old,” Lila blurted and then bit her lip in embarrassment. “God, sorry, that was rude.”

“I’m really glad you said that,” he said with a happy sigh. “I never know if people like me for me or for my parents. I’m convinced that’s why I’m popular.”

“Well, you’re pretty cute,” she said, her face flushing again as she ducked her eyes. He flushed with her and smiled. “And while I do enjoy your father’s books, I don’t….i don’t crush on him,” she said quickly.

“You like his books? I could get you some signed copies if you like.” He leaned closer and whispered. “You could brag to Katie about it cause that’s what she wants and doesn’t have.” Lila giggled and smiled at him. “So, what do you say, Lila, would you like to go for shakes or maybe a movie or something?” he asked softly. Please say yes, he couldn’t help but think over and over in his mind.

“Okay,” she said just as softly, the smile reaching her eyes. The relief he felt was palpable and his anxiety faded.

“Can I ask you something?” 

“Sure…”

“Why did you say I was a bully?” he asked, swallowing around the knot in his throat. “Do you think I bully people?” Her smile faltered a little and she looked down.

“No,” she sighed. “I really did think you were trying to be funny when you asked me to go for a shake and I figured you all must have made some kind of bet or a dare or something. Maybe hoping I’d say yes so you could laugh at me?” she shrugged and picked at her tights.

“Has anyone ever done that to you?” he asked quietly.

“It doesn’t matter,” she whispered.

“It matters to me.”

“Last year one of the football players asked me to meet him at Pop’s after the game and I guess it felt nice to have someone popular show interest in me and I went and he never showed up and him and his friends spent like a month laughing at me every time they saw me,” she explained, her eyes misty with tears.

“God, I’m sorry that happened Lila,” Jackson sighed. “Who the hell did that?” She gave him a shaky smile.

“It doesn’t matter,” she said softly. “They leave me alone now. I punched him once cause he made me so mad and he was so embarrassed that they left me alone after that cause all his friends laughed at him.”

“Wait, Benji Clayton? You’re the girl who gave him the black eye?” Jackson grinned. She smiled and nodded. “Nice. My mom told me that when I was 2, my dad punched his dad at a party because he was rude to my mom.”

“Really?” Lila giggled. “Like father like son, I guess.” They stood and smiled at each other for a few moments before he spoke again.

“So, how about tomorrow night? I could pick you up at 6:00?” Jackson suggested. She lost a bit of her smile and looked down.

“I um….i live…”

“I know where you live,” he said softly. “Well, not the exact address but I know you live south of the tracks. My dad grew up there.” Lila looked at him in surprise.

“He did?” Jackson nodded and she smiled and returned the action. She reached into her bag and pulled out a paper and pen and wrote her address down and handed it to him. “I’ll be ready,” she said softly.

“Okay, well I have to go watch my sister now, and thank you for letting me explain,” Jackson said as he stood. She stood with him and they just looked at each other for a moment. She smelled like flowers and he smiled. She suddenly got a nervous look on her face again. “What?” he asked.

“I just….” She sighed, almost annoyed with herself. “I’m scared you don’t mean it,” she whispered. “And I really do like you, I just….” Jackson didn’t let her finish and before he even realized what he was doing he leaned in and gave her a soft kiss. Her lips were soft and she tasted like cherry chapstick and he decided it was his favorite flavour ever. He pulled back almost instantly, a little shocked at himself and she looked at him in surprise. Her glasses had slipped a little and he lifted his hand and straightened them and saw she had gold flecks in the chocolate brown of her eyes.

“Sorry,” he muttered quickly.

“Are you going to do that after our date?” she asked, sounding a little breathless.

“Probably….i mean….if you want me to,” he said, feeling like his face was on fire. God, what was wrong with him?

“Okay,” she whispered again, her smile lighting her eyes. He grinned at her and she giggled. “I have to go,” she said suddenly, stumbling a little as she walked to the door. His grin widened and he decided she was the most beautiful dork he’d ever seen. 

“Lila?” he called. She turned at the door and smiled at him. “Can I join you on the football stands for lunch tomorrow?” he asked. She nodded happily and was about to leave and then she came back to where he stood and held out her hand.

“Phone?” she said softly. He handed her his cell and she put her number in it and handed it back. “In case you are late or need to cancel, or if you want to text, or whatever,” she said with a shy smile and a shrug. He smiled and nodded and she turned and quickly left the room. Jackson took a deep breath to try and calm the butterflies and touched his mouth, remembering what it felt like to kiss her and went in search of Alyssa.

Her class had already started and he sat at on the bench at the door after getting the nod that it was okay from the instructor. He could see Alyssa was struggling with a couple of moves and just like she had told him, the girl next to her was glaring daggers at her and muttering comments the entire time. The instructor didn’t seem to notice as she tried to keep an eye on all the dancers. He caught his sister’s eye and gave her a reassuring look and she gave him a little smile. When the class was over, he stood and waited and watched Ally as she kept looking at Nancy, who had stayed on the floor and was practicing a few of the moves. She looked over at him and he gave her a smile and a nod and then he watched her square her shoulders and walk over to the girl.

“Hey, Nancy?” she said in a shaky voice and Jackson felt her nervousness from where he was standing. He almost wished he hadn’t talked her into it because if the other girl was mean, he didn’t know if he could keep from snapping at her.

“What do you want,” she snapped, stopping in the middle of her move. Alyssa folded her hands nervously and took a breath.

“Ummm…I just….I wanted to tell you that I think you’re a really great dancer and I know that I’m not very good at the Pirouette and I was wondering if maybe you could help me and give me some pointers on how to do it properly,” she said in a rush. Jackson smiled a little at the surprised look that came over the girl’s face.

“You want me to help you?” she asked, shocked.

“Well, yeah. You’re the best dancer in the class,” Alyssa said quietly. “I really think you could help me a lot.” 

“You really think I’m a good dancer?” the girl asked quietly, her face faltering from the annoyed look she had been wearing. 

“I think you’re amazing.” Jackson watched as Nancy’s bravado faded and she seemed to wither right in front of them.

“But I’ve been so mean to you,” she said in a whisper, her eyes suddenly filling with tears.

“I know and I was talking to my brother,” both girls paused and looked over at him and he gave a small wave. “And he thought maybe you were just upset about something and that you didn’t really mean to get so upset with me,” Ally said. Jackson smiled, not remembering having said exactly that, but he was proud of how she was handling herself.

“My mom gets really mad at me when I mess up,” the girl said in a sad whisper. 

“Well, how about you help me with my Pirouette and once I can do it properly, we’ll look really great dancing side by side and maybe she will be happy,” Ally suggested. Nancy smiled and nodded and Jackson sat back down in the chair and fished out his phone and made himself busy while they practiced their dancing once more.

He found Lila’s number and grinned when he saw the blush emoji she had left beside her name. He wondered if it was too early to send her a text. He decided not because it had taken him two years just to talk to her, so he wasn’t about to waste any more time.

_I’m excited about tomorrow. Jax_

It took her a few minutes to reply and when her text came through it made him grin.

Lila: Me too :)

_Jax: Do you take the bus to school?_

Lila: yes….

_Jax: Maybe I could pick you up? If you want._

Lila: okay :)

_Jax: okay :)_

He scrolled through his social media for a few minutes and found her on all of them and added or sent requests that were immediately granted. He couldn’t help but grin even bigger. Another text suddenly came through and he chuckled when he read it.

Lila: Are you sure you like me? 

_Jax: Well, I’ve never asked a girl out and I’ve never kissed anyone, so either I like you or I’m practicing ;)_

Lila: Are you lying? You’ve never asked anyone out or kissed anyone?

_Jax: Nope, I was too busy crushing on the pretty school dork ;)_

Lila: :)

_Jax: :)_

Well, it certainly was easier texting than it was talking in person. His father had once told him that he and his mother had spent weeks texting back and forth and just blushing in each other’s company and Jackson realized that he and Lila had both been blushing but the conversation had come alright and he figured they would be alright. The girls practiced their dance for about half an hour before Nancy said she had to run and smiled at Alyssa before she grabbed her things and ran out to her waiting ride. 

“So that turned out okay, right?” Jackson asked as Ally gathered her things and walked over. She surprised him by wrapping her arms around his waist and hugging him tight.

“Thanks Jax,” she said, sniffling into his shirt. 

“You’re welcome,” he said softly, giving her a long hung back. “Now, how about I let mom know we’re going to have a shake and we head over to Pop’s.” She nodded happily and they went on their way.

 

Later that night, Jax was laying in his bed reading when his dad appeared in the door way and leaned against the frame.

“So, you talk to that girl yet?” he asked with a smile.

“Yeah, I did,” Jax said with a smile.

“It went well?”

“I’m taking her out tomorrow,” he said, feeling a burst of happiness inside. His dad grinned and winked at him. 

“I never had a doubt,” he said proudly.

“Thanks dad, for everything,” Jax said.

“You’re welcome and don’t stay up too late.” He disappeared again and Jackson picked up his phone and sent a text.

_Jax: Hey dork, what are you doing?_

Lila: smiling :)

Jackson settled back against his pillows and started typing out another text. He had a feeling he wouldn’t be getting to sleep at a reasonable hour.

 

Jughead leaned against the door frame of the master bedroom ensuite and watched as Betty turned and inspected herself in the mirror. She was wearing only panties and a short little tank top and was frowning at her reflection.

“What’s got you looking so annoyed?” he asked with a smile, his eyes moving slowly over her.

“Everything is moving south Jughead, face, boobs, probably my ass,” she sighed. Jughead tilted his head and focused on said ass and grinned. 

“Looks good to me,” he insisted and pulled away from the door and stood behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist. “You look beautiful,” he said softly, placing a kiss on her temple and cheek and that spot that made her sigh right below her ear. She caught his gaze in the mirror and lifted a hand to his face and turned her head to give him a soft kiss.

“Kids in bed?” she asked when she pulled away.

“Yes and also, Jackson is going on a date tomorrow.” Betty gasped and whirled around to face him.

“Are you serious? Why didn’t he tell me?”

“It’s pretty new,” Jughead said with a smile. 

“Oh, is this the girl he was talking to you about the other day?” she asked, her hand over her heart.

“How do you know about that?” 

“I may or may not have eavesdropped a little,” she said with a grimace. 

“Shame on you,” he laughed.

“Well, you gave him really great advice,” Betty smiled as she turned to brush her teeth. He leaned against the counter and crossed his ankles, folding his arms across his chest. 

“You know, I lost my virginity at his age,” he said casually. Betty promptly choked on her toothpaste.

“Oh my God, don’t say that,” she exclaimed when she managed to catch her breath. “Oh God, has he….”

“No, this is his first date, been crushing on her for a couple years, so I think we are probably okay for a bit yet,” he chuckled. Betty rinsed and let out a sigh.

“Oh god, Jug, how is our little boy already dating?” she asked, looking almost like she was going to cry, her eyes misting over. Jughead shifted and took her hand, moving his legs and pulling her between them, his arms wrapped loosely around her waist. 

“He’s growing up,” he said gently. She leaned against him and warped her arms around his waist.

“Can we just stop time?” she asked in a whisper. “I still remember the first time he called you daddy.”

“I still remember the first time I saw him,” he murmured. “Hell, I remember the night we made him,” he added with a grin. Betty rolled her eyes and shot him a look.

“Of course you do,” she laughed. She pulled away and went into the bedroom while he brushed his teeth and got into his pajama pants. He joined her in bed and she immediately rolled into him. “Do you think he’s serious about this girl?” she asked quietly. 

“Well, he’s liked her for two years, hasn’t asked any other girl out and most kids his age have been dating a while and he’s been waiting for the courage to ask her out. Obviously they are pretty young, but sometimes you just know who you want,” Jughead said softly.

“If you had met me at 16, would we have lasted?” Betty wondered.

“Yes,” he said immediately. 

“How do you know?” she whispered.

“I just know,” he said, pulling her on top of him and even after all these years, it was still her favorite place, laying against him, wrapped in his arms.

“I still can’t believe my sweet little boy is going on a date.”

“Betty, he’s 6 feet tall and eats like a horse, he’s not a little boy anymore,” he laughed.

“Well, both those things are from you,” she giggled. “He’s a good kid, isn’t he? We did good?”

“Yeah, we did,” Jughead smiled. “This Lila is a lucky girl.”

“Lila? As in Lila Jordan?” Betty asked in surprise.

“You know her?”

“I take spin class with her mother,” Betty smiled. “She told me her daughter had a crush on Jackson a while ago. Really lovely lady and her daughter came by once, very pretty, hair in a pony tail, glasses, nose in a book. The pony tail reminded me of myself at 16. Sounds like our son found a mixture of both of us,” she laughed.

“Then it’s definitely meant to be,” he grinned.

“Don’t put pressure on it,” she frowned, smacking his chest. He pinched her backside in retaliation. 

“Did you know Annie has a crush on Logan?” he asked suddenly.

“Bloody hell,” she sighed. Jughead laughed and took her face and pulled it to his for a kiss. She responded immediately and the fact that life was flying by and their children were growing up was forgotten for the night.


End file.
